A Place Without Magic
by blinkybush
Summary: A story about how Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison in Dr House) and Eva Zambrano (Lana Parrilla in Miami Medical) met. Why did I select Once Upon a Time/Miami Medical crossover? Because all of the characters come from OUAT, the only ones that changed names are the two main characters. You can say is a Swan Queen fic but in a place without magic called "L.A."
1. The New Intern

CHAPTER I – The New Intern

*beep beep* - Dr. Eva Zambrano's pager interrupted her lunch.

She had been the chief of surgery in RonaldReaganUCLAMedicalCenter since 2009 and everyone respected her. She worked in trauma 1, the most active division. In her 35 years she had performed more than 2500 surgeries and most of them were a matter of life or death. She had spent her whole life studying and doing internships, if not working as a well-known surgeon, so she never had the time for a relationship. Little did she see her family or her friends; she was always in the hospital.

"And again… bye lunch" Eva turned to walk through the door when accidentally bumped into someone in a blue uniform and a ponytail.

"Oh, I'm sorry, fuck, lord, excuse my mouth. Are you ok?" said the stranger.

"Yeah, you're forgiven dear but… who are you?" the brunette replied.

"Allison Cameron, the resident, I guess that's a thing. You must be Dr. Zambrano, I'm your apprentice. They told me I may find you here. Nice to meet you" the blonde answered, not even thinking. Her boss was gorgeous and her overstrung nerves had failed her.

"Like wise. We have no time to talk though, come with me, we have a surgery to attend to" Eva grinned as they quickly walked the empty halls of the hospital. She had noticed her new partner's nervousness.

"So tell me, where do you come from, Dr. Cameron?" the chief asked while getting on the elevator.

"I was born in New Jersey, I worked at Hospital Princeton-Plainsboro for five years and then I quit. My boss was a pain in the ass" the blonde replied.

"Well, I hope you don't feel the same way about me, right?" joked the brunette.

"No, I…you…I like you" faltered the other.

"It's ok, I don't like apple polishers" Dr. Zambrano said firmly. "As long as you're efficient" She chuckled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean… I'm being an asshole" the younger woman admitted.

"No, you're not" The elevator doors opened "and please stop cursing". Eva led the way to the operating room. The resident blushed and followed.

"So? What do we have here?" Eva asked rushing to put on her surgical gown.

"Karen Wright, 19, car crash, vital signs stable. As you can see she has pieces of glass from the windshield embedded in her face, a broken arm, and a lung puncture" Ruby said. Ruby was a paramedic that often worked for the LA Fire Department. She was thin, pretty, had dark brown hair with red streaks and green eyes. She was only 25 but she was one of the best paramedics in California.

"Ok, quickly, Dr. Cameron we need to intubate. Ruby, remove the glasses and take care of that. We'll deal with the broken arm later" Eva stated seriously. "Do you need help with that?" She said to the blonde after seeing her struggle with the tube.

The EKG monitor started beeping faster and faster until there was just one long beep.

"She's dropping! MOVE!" yelled Dr. Zambrano as she carried the defibrillator. She rubbed the paddles together. "Clear!" Nothing happened. "Again, come on, clear!" The heart monitor started beeping again showing stable signs. "Ruby, go tell Dr. Humbert we need him to take care of this patient, NOW!" Graham Humbert had graduated from med school at the same time as Eva, but spent half his life working as an officer in his father's police station.

"Come with me Dr. Cameron, we need to talk". As required, Allison followed the brunette to the cold and moist locker room.


	2. Car Crash

CHAPTER II – Car Crash

"Are you aware of what just happened? You killed a woman in there" said the boss furious. She looked at her apprentice with fiery eyes.

"I…" the blonde dared to mumble, but still terrified.

"You what? Your mistake could have cost someone's life". Looked like Dr. Zambrano wouldn't budge an inch.

"I'm so sorry chief, I promise it won't happen again" regretted the resident.

"For the sake of your career you better hope it won't happen again" replied the brunette, angrily leaving the place. Allison punched her locker so hard her knuckles started bleeding.

The day went by slowly. It was ten to nine and Allison's shift was almost over. She got in the elevator with her bandaged hand and leaned against the wall, closed her eyes and hoped for that day to be just a nightmare. Opened her eyes and there she was, still in the hospital. The door opened on the 4th floor and Dr. Zambrano and Dr. Humbert got in; they were leaving too.

"How was your first day, rookie?" asked Graham smiling.

"Not so good to be honest" answered Allison with a shy voice.

"Oh, I know, this woman here" Graham pointed his thumb at Eva "she bullied you, didn't she?" the man quipped.

"No, it wasn't like that, I made a mistake, and fucked up" said Allison in a useless attempt to control her mouth. Graham's smile suddenly wiped off his face.

"Dr. Cameron, we already talked about this, try to paraphrase, please". The elevator stopped and the three of them came out and walked straight towards the exit.

"Ok, good night girls, see you tomorrow" said Graham while leaving so they heard half of it.

"Can we talk?" Allison enquired while rubbing her own arms to heat up. She wrapped her scarf around her neck. It was a cold night in Los Angeles.

"Sure, tell me" said Eva putting on her black coat.

"Can we go somewhere else where my lips won't turn blue? I'm freezing out here" begged the blonde.

"Let's do something, do you have a car?"

"I don't…" drawled Allison

"Well, I'll give my new intern a ride and we can talk on the way to her place" Eva smiled slightly "What do you think?"

"Are… are you sure? I… wouldn't want to bother"

"I'm sure, and what's with all this mumbling? You little stutterer" The surgeon smiled at Allison for the second time in less than a minute.

"Ok, let's go, which one is it? That little piece of junk right there?" The youngest quipped pointing to a really old scratched car.

"Don't forget I'm still your boss Miss Cameron" Eva bit her lip while smirking.

"Hey! I said junk instead of shit! Where's my recognition?" Allison complaint and then grinned.

"Ha-ha, very funny. This is the one" Eva said as she got closer to the vehicle.

"Whaaaaaa-?! You must be fucking kidding me! A blue and white 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS?! Where did you get this shit?!" shouted for the whole city to hear.

"Putting aside Dr. Zambrano and talking as Eva… I like it when you curse" she whispered as if she didn't want the responsible and bossy side of her to hear. The blonde blushed and didn't even know why "and answering your question, I bought it in a convention, it's highly expensive, so don't eat or drink inside it" She smiled at the blonde again. "Hop on!"


	3. Weird, But Somehow Good

CHAPTER III – Weird, But Somehow Good

"So… Ali… May I call you Ali when we're outside the hospital?" asked Eva looking at the blonde out of the corner of her eye. The night was as dark as it was cold. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Yeah, you may. I wanted to talk about what happened today in the operation room" she considerably lowered her voice. "I was nervous, not only because it was my first day in RR UCLA, but also because of something that happened long ago. When I was 11 both my parents died in a car crash. My sister and I were raised by my uncle. That girl lying there, almost dying, just like my parents… it was hard to watch, and to know that her life was in my hands" she hesitated "I know this is my job and it shouldn't affect me but it does, at least for now".

Eva was stunned. She couldn't even look at Allison. "I'm so sorry… I didn't know" she muttered still with her eyes fixed on the road.

"It's ok, I just wanted you to know my story so that you could understand me. I'm not asking for anything, don't get me wrong. I don't blame you, it's your job to yell at me, especially when I screw up" Allison said.

"I'll tell you one thing, why don't we act like today never happened?" Eva smirked.

"Oh, but I already like you, and today I met you, so… that's a no" answered Allison trying to be funny, even if all of that was true.

"You can meet me again tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, don't worry about that" said the older woman. "And… we're here" she added as she pulled over. Allison had a beautiful house, with a large garden on the front, a couple of trees around and a white fence to keep the kids and the dogs out the grass. Just like the house Eva had always dreamed about.

"Nice home Ali" said the driver. The other just stared at her, as if she had something in her teeth. "Take a picture, it'll last longer" she said laughing. Her perfect teeth shined in the dark.

"What?" Allison seemed lost.

"We're here; you have to get off the car and go home, blondie" said the brunette.

"Oh, right, sorry. Thanks for the ride. Is there some way I can compensate for this?" asked as she got out the car, closed the door and turned around to look at Eva.

"Yes, work hard and don't ever be late, deal?"

"Deal, boss" Allison stretched her hand to shake Eva's through the window. She did the same. "Good night and thanks for everything, I owe you".

"You're welcome! Take care" she said as the other walked away from her. She waited until her new partner entered her house and then started the engine to drive home.

She had a 20 minute trip to think about her day. 'Whoever She Is' by The Maine was playing. She was a fan. Too many thoughts came to her mind. The bumping into Allison, the mistake in the operation room, the scene in the locker room, the car crash, Ali's parents, the stare. The day before, when they had told her there was going to be a new intern, she had imagined a geeky boy with a plain beige shirt and glasses. She got the complete opposite. 'Weird, but somehow good' she thought to herself.

She was almost home so she searched for the house keys when she realized Allison's phone was on the passenger seat. She knew she could give it to her at the hospital but she didn't want to wait until morning, so she decided to drive back to Ali's house. Another 20 minutes, and a lot of thoughts invaded her mind again. The cursing, the excitement when she saw her car, the opening up to her, the grinning, the shaking hands. "Ok Eva, what is wrong with you? Stop it" she tried to convince herself that it was just the result of a long and stressful day.

*knock knock*

"Who's there?" Allison asked. She was already in her pajamas about to sleep, with a novel in her hands and her glasses on.

"Ali? It's Eva!" the blonde opened the door as fast a thunder hits a tree.

"Eva? Come on in, what are you doing here?" she asked a little bit worried and letting the brunette enter her comfortable and warm living room "It's freezing out there, do you need something? A cup of coffee or maybe tea… make yourself at home".

"It's ok, I was just leaving, I came to bring you your phone; you left it on the seat of my car" said Eva confused. She had to admit Ali looked amazing with glasses. She took a look around. There was a huge piece of furniture filled with movies of all times, from the 40s horror tapes, to recent chick flicks. On the right side there was a library full of books, mostly novels and sci-fi stories. The TV was huge and to the left she had hundreds of cds and some vinyls. The wooden floor and walls made the whole room look like a cabin. Hanging on one of the walls there was a framed poster of the House of Wax signed by Elisha Cuthbert; Ali's only crush. In the center of the living room there was a wooden table and six chairs. Eva was highly impressed by everything Allison had.

"Thank you" said the blonde sincerely, trying to catch the brunette's attention.

"What for?" asked Eva turning her gaze at her.

"For driving all the way here again just to hand me my phone…" Allison chuckled because she knew Eva was feeling the same way she had felt in the car when she stared; confused.

"Anytime" Eva replied "It's getting late, I should go" She was scared of something and not sure of what. Maybe it was the Darth Vader painting that was aggressively looking at her from the wall. Maybe not. She left the cell on the table and rushed to the entrance hall to leave. Allison was still looking at her from the other side of the living room. "Mind opening the door for me?"

"It's open, boss" Eva grabbed the door knob and left almost running, without even saying goodbye. Allison locked the door and faltered. 'Weird, but somehow good' she thought to herself.


	4. One Way Street

CHAPTER IV – One Way Street

"Another party with the same kids, another night with the same drinks, I need to find myself a new chick, I need to kiss a set of new lips!" Eva was driving to work and singing at the top of her lungs "She's gotta be something new to me, a fresh face, someone new to please, so come on come on girl, just you and me, oh come on girl, just you and me!" She looked in the rearview mirror. She was happy, content. She didn't even remember when was the last time she had felt like that. Usually, her trip to work was boring and made her sleepier; but not that day.

She entered RR UCLA forty minutes before the beginning of her shift. Went straight to the cafeteria, she was starving. Grabbed a cup of coffee and a bagel. When she turned around she spotted Dr. Cameron and Ruby at a private round table chatting and having breakfast.

"She's going to be hard on you, like she was on me and everyone else in this hospital, but sooner or later you're going to realize you're a better surgeon and a better person too" said Ruby to Allison.

"Hush" the blonde warned the other.

"What? It's not like she's going to be here now, she's always late" Ruby said totally convinced as Eva walked straight to her. Ali looked down.

"She's right behind me, isn't she?" asked the youngest woman.

"Good morning Ruby" said Dr. Zambrano sarcastically grinning.

"I told you to shut up" the resident added. She was having so much fun.

"So… apparently you were talking about me, right? Mind sharing?" said Eva in a friendly tone, but they could tell she was being utterly serious.

"I was telling Dr. Cameron here that you are a great boss" replied Ruby being honest. It came out as a joke. "I'm not lying, I swear…"

"Just leave it alone, it's not going to get any better" Allison interrupted her. Eva sat right in front of the blonde and started drinking her sultry coffee.

"I'm surprised you got here before me, Allison" whispered Eva.

"Didn't we have a deal? It was something like 'work hard and never be late' as I recall" the blonde quipped. "I don't break deals, it's dangerous". She was being a smart ass and Eva liked that but would never admit it.

"Very good. So… did you leave your phone on the bus this morning?" said the brunette smiling.

"Ok, I think I'm going to go do something else… somewhere else" said Ruby as she felt ignored. And she was, because no one seemed to hear. She had the last sip of her tea and rushed to the hall as if there was some kind of emergency.

"Nope, here it is" answered Allison as she took the phone off her pocket. "I wouldn't want the bus driver to knock on my door". She loved this whole joking thing and could tell her boss did too. Eva let a shy laugh come out of her mouth.

Ruby came in running, ten times faster than she had left. "I'm sorry to interrupt your little chat but we have nine gunshot victims from a bank robbery, we need you both" The three of them let their full cups and hurried to the 4th floor. When they got to the operating room Dr. Humbert was already about to start. Cameron and Zambrano put on their surgical gowns a started operating. Ruby left to help out with another surgery.

"Dr. Cameron, I think you know how to intubate" she assumed looking at the blonde firmly. She continued "and remove the bandage, I'll remove the bullet. Do it fast, we don't have much time". One of the gunshots had punctured the victim's left lung, again. "Dr. Humbert, please do the same with the wound on his right arm". Two hours later they had saved another life.

"I'm proud of you Allison" Eva admitted as she took her gloves off "You did great". The blonde couldn't hide her excitement so she let a huge smile out. The chief came out to talk to the victim's family.

"He's recovering, he'll be fine" said Dr. Zambrano to two worried parents. "You may see him when he wakes up. I'll let you know". After being hugged and thanked she left to the locker room to change. She always carried three uniforms to change in between surgeries; she felt dirty and sick if she didn't. It was almost lunch time so she went down to the cafeteria again and sat completely alone.

"Hey chief" someone said. The blonde was standing right next to her with a tray in her hands "may I sit here?"

"Suit yourself" replied the boss. She moved so the other could sit.

"Thanks" She grabbed the fork and started twirling her spaghetti. She looked at the other. "Are you ok? You're playing with your food" asked Allison when she saw the brunette's troubled look.

"I'm fine, I'm just not hungry" lied the older woman.

"Tell that to your pretty face, you look concerned" said Allison. Eva immediately faced her partner. "What?" The blonde hadn't realized she had said 'pretty face'.

"Never mind. How old are you anyway?" enquired Eva looking at her full plate again. Clearly she was caught up in her own thoughts. A lock of hair fell off from behind her ear. The intern looked at her and sighed.

"Shouldn't you have read my file? I'm 32" replied Allison in a failed attempt to make a joke.

"I haven't had the time yet, Dr. Cameron" seriously stated the chief. Allison reached Eva's hand and hold it. The brunette let go of her fork and froze.

"What's with you today? You look lost and flustered" sincerely asked the blonde.

"I'm fine Miss Cameron" answered quite annoyed the other woman. She took her hand off Allison's.

"Ok, just know you can open up to me too. It's not a one way street" She was being genuine and Eva noticed that but didn't say a thing. Awkward silence. "Are you going to eat that apple, boss?" The chief shook her head, stood up and left, leaving a preoccupied Allison alone to sink her teeth into the fruit.


	5. That's a Wrap!

CHAPTER V – That's a wrap!

Eva walked into the waiting room where the parents of the last victim sat nervously. She approached them.

"He's awake" whispered Dr. Zambrano with a smile on her face. "Do you want to see him?"

"Of course! Where is he?" answered the mother desperately. There were tears in her eyes and the shaking of her hands got worse with every second.

"Follow me" said firmly Eva as she walked to the recovery room. She opened the door and let the parents in. "I'll let you catch up, call me if you need anything" added the brunette leaving the room. Allison was waiting outside.

"Do you want anything from the vending machine?" asked the blonde. "You haven't eaten anything since God knows when". It was almost 7 pm. She put her hands in her scrub pockets and waited for an answer.

"Hmm… sure, something sweet, like a Snicker or a KitKat" requested Dr. Zambrano to the resident.

"Are you sure? You're already sweet. If you eat something sweet now I'll have to give you a shot of insulin". Allison was joking and flirting a little bit. Eva looked at her and couldn't help to smile.

"Just… bring me my Snicker, please. I'll pay you later". She looked away. Cameron's ideas and comments always disallowed her brain from working properly. She sat and waited; it was one of those days when the hospital was deserted and calm.

Five minutes later there was Allison with a Snicker and a bottle of water. "I brought you this to cancel out the sugar". She let a shy laugh out as she sat next to her boss and handed her the candy and the bottle.

"Thank you Dr. Cameron" the brunette hesitated. She took a bite of the bar. "Do you like peanuts?" asked the brunette trying to keep up the conversation. She looked at Allison's hands; her fingers were crossed and resting on her lap. Her skin was white as snow and flawless. Her black nails were perfectly done. "You know you're not supposed to have your nails done, right?" said Dr. Zambrano trying to sound strict and failing completely.

"Oh, I know, sorry. And yes, I like peanuts" answered the blonde taking the candy bar from Eva's hand and eating the last piece; then giving it back.

"Excuse me?! What are you doing to my delicious candy bar?!" asked the chief joking. "Oh no, you ate my apple earlier, now this?! You are going down Dr. Cameron, so down" added smiling with the empty wrapper on her hand. She stayed still for a moment staring and the wall in front of her and suddenly turned to put the wrapper in Allison's scrub pocket. The blonde tried to resist it and grabbed Eva's hands to stop her, laughing as if she was getting tickled. The brunette's hands were soft and a little bit cold. Allison got goose bumps.

"Ok, ok, ok, ok, stop it" mumbled Allison in between laughs. Eva did as asked and stared at her smiling still with the wrapper on her hand. "There are these things called trash cans to throw that out, you know? And my pocket is not one". The blonde looked at the other waiting for an answer but all she got was Eva's fun expression; like a puppy wanting to play. "Give me that" added Allison smiling as she took the wrapper from Eva's hand "I'll throw it out later".

It was 9 pm and Allison's shift was over. She waited for her boss to finish changing and they both left the locker room. Eva was leading the way, as always; Allison followed.

"Boss, are you ok?" asked the blonde walking straight to the elevator.

"Yeah… why?" Eva knew what the other was talking about but played dumb, oh so well. They got in the elevator and the chief pressed the L button.

"Today at lunch you were… off" stated Allison preoccupied leaning against the elevator wall looking directly at the brunette.

"Well, my day got better, thanks for asking" answered Eva evading the indirect question. She looked in the mirror and combed her hair with both her hands. Allison stared at her; she was so sexy. Her blood-red lips, the tight black dress and the leather boots drove her crazy. The necklace she was wearing rested on her cleavage and accentuated her breasts. Allison couldn't help to look.

"That's a nice…" the blonde hesitated and left space for the other to imagine the worst. "Necklace" she continued. As she realized she was staring directly at Eva's chest she quickly looked away and tried not to make eye contact.

"Thank you" answered the brunette smiling and turning around to face the blonde. The elevator was big enough to fit a stretcher and five surgeons around it, but they were surprisingly close. The resident could smell Eva's sweet and intoxicating perfume. They gazed at each other for a couple of seconds that felt like eternity itself. Allison wetted her lips in sign of nervousness. A high-pitched sound advised them that the elevator door that was about to open.


	6. The Birthday Party

CHAPTER VI – The Birthday Party

Two months had passed and Eva's birthday was getting closer.

"I was thinking a surprise party, with balloons and lots of alcohol in her house. We could steal her spare keys and when she gets home, BOOM, we scream and jump from behind the furniture in stupid birthday hats" said Ruby to the group. She was excited and anxious.

"I was thinking something more… legal" replied Allison emphasizing on the last word "but the stupid hats are a good idea, I think"

"I like the alcohol" said Graham while nodding to Ruby.

"Ok so… alcohol and stupid birthday hats. She won't forget it, that's for sure" resumed the blonde. "Maybe I can lend you my house to do the party there"

"Awesome! Party mode: on!" shouted Ruby "I take care of the balloons, the hats, and the snack; you two buy the alcohol. Tomorrow we leave the hospital before you and go to your house to arrange everything" she was still too excited.

"Calm down woman, remember what happened the last time you spoke too loud at the cafeteria?" whispered Allison "we don't want her to find out"

"You're dismissed!" screamed Ruby grinning, and then left.

"Boy…she sure loves surprise parties" added Graham.

It was February the 23rd, the day of Eva's birthday, and of course, everyone acted like they had forgotten. She happily walked the halls waiting for someone to say _Happy Birthday Dr! _but that didn't happen, at all. With the hours she just became more and more annoyed. Was it possible that no one in the 8-floor-hospital remembered? Not even the receptionist who knew her since she had stepped into RR UCLA from the first time, 12 years ago.

At the end of her shift she went to the locker room to grab her things and just go home to an empty and solitary house. "Hello again, boss". Sure Eva wasn't going to hope the intern to know it was her birthday. "I was wondering if you could help me with something tonight. I'm entering a competition on surgery and I would really appreciate it if you helped me go through some notes and give me some advice on what I should say" lied the blonde.

"Now?" asked Eva a little bit unhappy

"Yes, pretty please?" the younger woman hid her pain from seeing Eva sad. Only two months had passed but she liked her a lot. She knew it was crazy, she was her boss but there was nothing she could do.

"Fine, let me just take a shower and we'll leave" Allison waited in the locker room, whishing to see Eva walk out of the showers wearing nothing but a towel. Fifteen minutes later the chief came out fully dressed with a white shirt and black tight jeans, and her short dark hair was still wet and messy so the blonde couldn't help to stare.

"Are you coming, Dr. Cameron?" called Eva approaching the exit door.

"Yeah, yeah, sure" mumbled Allison as she stood up and followed. They went down and got out of the hospital, quickly walked to Eva's car to avoid the frosty wind. It was a cold winter in LA, 38º and going down. They got in and sighed; it was warm and comfortable inside. The one on the passenger seat spoke first.

"So… what's with that tiny apple hanging from the rearview mirror?" curiously asked the blonde.

"My father gave it to me, I love apples, the taste and the shape" Eva let out more than she wanted to.

"You're weird, you know that, right?" replied Allison surprised "I mean… the shape? There're a gazillion things that look better than an apple".

"Look who's talking, the girl with the creepy Darth Vader intimidating people on her living room" attacked the brunette but joking.

"YOU DON'T LIKE STAR WARS?!" screamed the passenger "Oh god, let me out, let me out of the car Eva, please, I need some air" she acted and then laughed "by the way, put on some good music" asked politely Allison while smiling.

"It's not that I don't like Star Wars, I've never seen the movies, that's all" she defended herself as she searched for something good in her stereo, a little bit ashamed.

"Oh god, maybe we should cancel the studying and just watch all the movies tonight" joked the blonde. 'Beat It' by Michael Jackson started playing. "Now we're talking, great fucking song" she added.

"Maybe we should, it's my birthday today" Eva said quite gloomy.

"What?! Are you kidding me? Why didn't you say something?" Thank god Ali knew how to lie. "Happy Birthday chief!"

"Thanks, you're the only one who has said it; hard day today" Allison heart was breaking but it wouldn't show "and please, just call me Eva" she added.

"I feel bad now; I should've gifted you something, like… I don't know… the whole Star Wars saga!" joked and lied the blonde, once again. "I'm going to kill everyone in RR on Monday, they all forgot?!" she kept on acting. It was easy because Eva's eyes were fixed on the road.

"Apparently" answered shortly the brunette. She pulled over right in front of Allison's house. Eva grabbed her black coat and Ali her red leather jacket and hop off the car. They walked slowly to the house; Eva could smell the wet grass, and closing her eyes she felt as if she was in the middle of the forest; not far from where she wanted to be in that awful day. She opened her eyes and approached the door; they got in. "Wait, why was the door open?" enquired the brunette a little bit confused.

"I always leave it open, I don't like to lock the doors, I feel trapped" invented the blonde, now nervous, while closing the door behind her and asking for Eva's coat to hang it on the clothes rack.

"Even when you're not in the house? Talk to me about weird" stated Eva, perplexed. They walked to the living room and Ali turned on the lights.

"SURPRISEEEEEEEEEE!" they all screamed at once. There was like 30 people hiding in that room, including Eva's mother and brother, Ruby and her girlfriend Belle, a drunk Graham, the receptionist of RR and Eva's friends from trauma 2 and 3.

"Oh my fucking god! I thought you…. What?! I hate you all!" The birthday woman didn't know what to say, she was astonished, but happy for the first time that day.

"Ha, look who's cursing now, Miss Don't-Curse-and-Paraphrase" said the blonde laughing.

"YOU did this?" Eva faced Allison with a huge smile.

"Nah, Ruby did this, and Graham and I just helped" replied with modesty the younger woman holding a smile in.

"Actually, all that Graham did was drink 50% of the alcohol, but it still counts" added Ruby from behind the table. The room was decorated with balloons in every corner, star-shaped garlands, colorful streamers and a giant poster board that read _Happy Birthday Eva!_.

Eva hugged Allison so tight she could feel her warm body pressed against hers. She didn't want to let go but everyone was looking so she moved away.

"Hey! Leev sum luv fo' the rest of ussssss" barely said Graham, he couldn't even speak. He spent the whole party lying on the couch and talking nonsense. Every five minutes he whispered 'Hpp Bday Dr. Zmbrn' even when Eva wasn't around.

It was almost 12 o'clock and everyone was having fun and catching up. The birthday woman was chatting with her brother; Allison watched from across the room. Ruby took advantage of that situation. She approached Ali, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to the kitchen.

"You dig her, don't you?" Ruby directly accused Ali but, for the first time, whispering.

"What are you talking about? Don't go all Graham on me" Ali played dumb extremely well but Ruby was always ahead of everyone.

"I'm not drunk and definitely not stupid, I've been carefully watching you for the past two months; you like her from the moment you met her" the blonde didn't know what to say; she was so busted. "It's ok, I think you should do something about it tho, she kinda likes you too" added the youngest.

"She what?! You're crazy, dude" replied the older woman "She's so far from being attracted to me" she stated. Ruby noticed the wet puppy face Allison was trying so hard to hide.

"You think? What was that hug she gave you back in the living room?" enquired the younger woman as she opened the fridge to take the cake out.

"That… she was just happy because we threw her a surprise party, that's all" said discouraged the blonde.

"Exactly my point. WE threw her a surprise party, and she only hugged YOU like that. I'm telling you, she's after you, she's just scared" said Ruby and then left with the cake and the candles. Could it be? That her boss liked her as much? No, that was just her friend's wild opinion. She followed Ruby to the living room and her mind was a mess.

"DJ, turn the music down!" shouted Ruby to Belle, who was choosing the tracks. Belle did so. "Thank you babe. Ok, we're here to celebrate this incredible woman's birthday, so we brought a cake with 36 candles" She pointed her finger at Eva "yeah, you're not going to get away with that" Eva laughed and scrunched her face in a sing of embarrassment "so you can blow them whenever you want beautiful! Let's sing a loud happy birthday!" Ruby was the best host ever, and everyone agreed. They all started singing and when they finished, between all the clapping and the cheers, Eva asked for a wish and blew all the candles out.

The party was coming to an end; most of the people had left, including Eva's family. There were only five people still in there. The birthday woman, Ruby, her girlfriend, the drunk, and the owner of the house.

"I'd better take Graham home before he throws up in your perfectly polished wooden floor" That was just an excuse Ruby came up with to leave Eva and Allison alone. "C'mon baby" she said to Belle "Help me out with this one" the blonde opened the front door and the three of them left in Ruby's red car. Ali closed the door behind her.

"I'd better go too, right?" said Eva, waiting for the blonde to invite her to stay the night.

"Why don't you stay tonight and we can watch some movies, not necessarily Star Wars, don't worry" joked the younger woman wishing she would agree.

"Are you sure?" asked Eva slightly smiling, she didn't want to seem desperate.

"Sure, I have instant popcorn in the kitchen, butter-flavored and sweet too" insisted Allison. She wasn't planning on doing anything, but she loved the idea of Eva staying over.

"Ok, let's tidy this place up and make some popcorn" stated the brunette.


	7. American Beauty

CHAPTER VII – American Beauty

"How much alcohol did you buy? There're a gazillion empty bottles in the kitchen!" asked surprised the brunette.

"The perks of sending Graham to buy it" Ali laughed "Are we done? I'm exhausted; I just wanna lie down on the couch and do nothing!" she exclaimed with a sound of tiredness in her voice and sighing heavily.

"Yeah, we have to take out the trash and that's it" said Eva excited. She just had the best birthday party ever. "Open the door for me please" she said as she carried the garbage bags from the kitchen. Allison let her out and back in. "Finished" called Eva as she went to the bathroom to wash her hands.

"Great, what do you wanna watch?" said the blonde raising her voice and approaching her movie collection. "Anything you want is in here" added bragging. Eva came back from the bathroom drying her hands in paper towel and took a look at the DVDs.

"What about American Beauty?" said throwing the wet paper to the garbage. It was her favorite movie; she had seen it more than 25 times. Allison searched for it.

"Here it is, put it on, I'll go make the popcorn. Butter or sugar?" asked the blonde giving the plastic box to the brunette.

"Holy fuck, you do have everything in here" said Eva surprised as she inserted the movie in the DVD. "Butter-flavored is ok".

"What was that? Did you just say the F word? So much for the bossy doctor" quipped Allison. She knew she could already make that kind of joke.

"Maybe it's because you don't cease to surprise me, it's your fault that I curse" sincerely said the surgeon. She turned off the lights.

"Whatever, dirty mouth. Can I call you that?" Allison answered from the kitchen. She couldn't stop smiling. "What do you want to drink?"

"Do you have orange Minute Maid? If not, just water" Two minutes later there was Ali, with a bowl of popcorn, a soda and a glass of orange juice. They both sat on the extremely comfortable couch.

"Just press play, please" the brunette chuckled. They watched the whole movie in silence except for that one time Eva said "I love this scene" referring to a plastic bag flying. Allison didn't understand anything of what was happening in the movie; she couldn't stop thinking about the woman sitting next to her; she could feel the heat in her skin from being so close to her. She was going crazy. She was afraid her thoughts were louder than the TV.

Two hours later the black screen indicated the end of the movie. Eva stretched and Ali copied her. There was no more popcorn or drinks. Just silence. The blonde extended to reach the switch of the lamp she had right next to her, so she could see Eva's face. The birthday woman made herself comfortable by facing Allison. So did the other. Eva broke the silence.

"Hey, I just wanted to thank you for everything. The birthday party and you know… everything in general; being there for me even if sometimes I treat you bad" said sincerely. They stared at each other. Ali said nothing at all, she was terrified. Her boss' presence made her totally nervous; her heart was beating so fast she could feel it coming out of her chest. "You're allowed to talk now" Eva smiled.

"It's ok, I do these kinds of things because I care about you" she hesitated. "Oh, by the way, I didn't give you your birthday gift" said as she stood up and went to her bedroom to grab the present.

"Oh no, you didn't" said Eva as Ali entered the room with a box. "What is it?"

"Open it" challenged her the blonde. Eva took the ribbon off the box and opened it. Inside there was a script. 'The Mummy Returns' was written on the first page.

"A script?" Eva didn't understand what was going on.

"Turn to the last page" said Allison. She did, there was a signature of Rachel Weisz, her favorite actress of all time. Eva was speechless.

"How…" the brunette's voice cracked. She started crying. Rachel meant the world to her. Allison hugged her and comforted her.

"If I knew you were going to cry like a baby I wouldn't have given you anything" said the blonde trying to liven the moment up.

"I'm sorry, they're happy tears" mumbled Eva. "How did you know she was so important to me?" she asked drying her own tears.

"I asked around the hospital. Ruby told me you liked 'that hot chick from that movie with mummies and a lot of sand', her words not mine; so I did my research and got what I wanted" explained Allison.

"I can't believe you would go through all that trouble to get me a present" said Eva still tearing up.

'I work hard to get what I want' thought to herself the blonde. Instead she said "My pleasure. Well… I guess it's bed time, don't you think?"

"Yeah, thank you Ali, you just made my day" thanked Eva. Ali dried her tears with her thumbs. And then again, an awkward silence and a longer stare.

"Ok then, you have a queen bed to yourself, I'll sleep on the couch" said the blonde getting as far as possible from Eva's lips before it was too late.

"A queen bed and you'll sleep on the couch? Hell no, missy. I don't bite" said Eva as she headed to the bedroom. Ali was hoping she did bite. She followed the brunette to her own room. She sat on the bed and sighed. When she turned around to see why Eva was so quiet she found her partner unbuttoning her shirt and taking it off, leaving nothing but her black bra on. Ali's jaw dropped. Eva was the sexiest woman she had ever seen.

"What's with your face, blondie? Are you ok?" In that moment Eva realized how much power she had over Allison, and she liked it.

"Yeah, do you need a pajama?" asked very distracted the blonde.

"Nah, I'm ok like this. Does it bother you?" asked Eva with a naive tone.

"No, of course not, excuse me" She rushed to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Her heart was beating dangerously fast. She looked in the mirror and blushed. She needed to calm down. 'Breathe in, breathe out. Come one Ali, it's not that hard'. She came out and entered the room again to see the brunette already in bed. She took her shirt and pants off right in front of Eva and chuckled when she saw how nervous the other had suddenly become.

Ali walked around the room in her underwear, turned off the lights and got into bed. Silence again.

"Hey… have you ever met someone and wondered what it would be like to kiss them?" asked the blonde out of nowhere. Either of them could see the other; the room was too dark. They could only hear the sound of each other breathing. For a moment Allison regretted asking the question.

"Yeah" That's all Eva said. Allison sensed some tension so she just closed her eyes.

"Good night, birthday girl" Ali whispered in the dark.

"Good night, beautiful" answered the brunette.


End file.
